Misc NAC (n-acetylcysteine)

[anonymouse77]

I make this post in the hope that someone could please tell me if the supplement NAC (n-acetylcysteine) could help me. I am taking Lyrica (pregabalin) a lot lately for recreational effects and heard the supplement l-glutamine can help promote GABA production so I just did a search and found a study about NAC helping with this addiction. It also said:

In humans, NAC is known for its role in mitigating cocaine and nicotine dependence [29,30,31].

The link is here:

Potential Benefits of N-Acetylcysteine in Preventing Pregabalin-Induced Seeking-Like Behavior - PMC

Substance-use disorder is globally prevalent and responsible for numerous social and medical problems. Pregabalin (Lyrica), typically used to treat diabetic neuropathy, has recently emerged as a drug of abuse. Drug abuse is associated with several ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I find these studies really confusing to read and this one talks about it being on mice. I have NAC and was thinking I should take it for this. I take one every day but it doesn't seem to do much but maybe I am not taking enough.

Does anyone have any experience with this? NAC would be ideal to try as I already have some. I need to quit this Lyrica AND nicotine.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Neuroprotection]

Never tried pregabalin, but I love nicotine so perhaps I’ve experienced a tiny bit of the impulsive effects of addiction. I don’t have experience with NAC but I think you’re definitely onto something with using it for pregabalin addiction. I think you need quite high doses, 2 g or more to be truly effective and if possible, I would wait until you’re completely off both pregabalin and nicotine or at least pregabalin. then use NAC daily as needed along with high-strength zinc and bioavailable magnesium. it’s not really GABA dysfunction that drives pregabalin seeking, but rather dysfunctional glutamate clearance, something that NAC addresses both through its powerful antioxidant effect, but also through an MGLU2 dependent mechanism.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have been dabbling with NAC for the past couple years and found it to be a remarkable drug.

In humans, NAC is known for its role in mitigating cocaine and nicotine dependence [29,30,31].

It does this by it's action on dopamine receptors. It helps protect them and heal them.

However, it also blunts the euphoria of dopaminergic drugs if taken before, during or after them. For this reason, I only use NAC when I am intending to taper or quit a dopaminergic drug. It helps a lot for that purpose, and seems to lessen withdrawal/craving symptoms to some degree.

I have noticed it blunts the euphoria from kratom, significantly. There are many anecdotal reports that it blunts the euphoria from stimulant medications (adderall), and other dopaminergics like cocaine/cathinones.

Other than that, I have noticed it helps with many things. It's very good at protecting and healing the kidneys and liver. It helps me with anxiety and other mental issues as well.

I have not noticed any interaction with GABAergic drugs, though. I haven't looked into any science behind that, either. It won't blunt the euphoria from Lyrica, but not sure if it will boost them either.

 

[anonymouse77]

Never tried pregabalin, but I love nicotine so perhaps I’ve experienced a tiny bit of the impulsive effects of addiction. I don’t have experience with NAC but I think you’re definitely onto something with using it for pregabalin addiction. I think you need quite high doses, 2 g or more to be truly effective and if possible, I would wait until you’re completely off both pregabalin and nicotine or at least pregabalin. then use NAC daily as needed along with high-strength zinc and bioavailable magnesium. it’s not really GABA dysfunction that drives pregabalin seeking, but rather dysfunctional glutamate clearance, something that NAC addresses both through its powerful antioxidant effect, but also through an MGLU2 dependent mechanism.

Thank you for your reply and good information. I recently discovered the euphoria from Lyrica and I'm worried it will be my downfall. The other thing I noticed is the NAC I have has other ingredients in it so it might not be ideal to take higher doses of in case the other active ingredients are over the daily allowed threshold. I will post the active ingredients:

Selenium (from L-Selenomethionine)	25 mcg	45%
Molybdenum (from Sodium Molybdate)	50 mcg	111%
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	600 mg	†

 

[anonymouse77]

I have been dabbling with NAC for the past couple years and found it to be a remarkable drug.



It does this by it's action on dopamine receptors. It helps protect them and heal them.

However, it also blunts the euphoria of dopaminergic drugs if taken before, during or after them. For this reason, I only use NAC when I am intending to taper or quit a dopaminergic drug. It helps a lot for that purpose, and seems to lessen withdrawal/craving symptoms to some degree.

I have noticed it blunts the euphoria from kratom, significantly. There are many anecdotal reports that it blunts the euphoria from stimulant medications (adderall), and other dopaminergics like cocaine/cathinones.

Other than that, I have noticed it helps with many things. It's very good at protecting and healing the kidneys and liver. It helps me with anxiety and other mental issues as well.

I have not noticed any interaction with GABAergic drugs, though. I haven't looked into any science behind that, either. It won't blunt the euphoria from Lyrica, but not sure if it will boost them either.

Thank you for your reply and good information about NAC. That is interesting how it works. I noticed the NAC I have has other active ingredients to I might have to get more. Do you think NAC would be better than l-glutamine? I don't know what to do any more.

 

[AlsoTapered]

Thank you for your reply and good information. I recently discovered the euphoria from Lyrica and I'm worried it will be my downfall. The other thing I noticed is the NAC I have has other ingredients in it so it might not be ideal to take higher doses of in case the other active ingredients are over the daily allowed threshold. I will post the active ingredients:

Selenium (from L-Selenomethionine)	25 mcg	45%
Molybdenum (from Sodium Molybdate)	50 mcg	111%
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)	600 mg	†

No, both selenium and molybdenum appear to be micronutrients within the human body, they both produce toxic symptoms at quite low doses. I believe the former can increase levels of selenoproteins and the latter results in a loss of copper - itself a vital micronutrient.

 

[anonymouse77]

No, both selenium and molybdenum appear to be micronutrients within the human body, they both produce toxic symptoms at quite low doses. I believe the former can increase levels of selenoproteins and the latter results in a loss of copper - itself a vital micronutrient.

Thank you for your reply and letting me know. I only just realised when I checked the bottle today it had other active ingredients. I will try to get pure NAC supplement. I was eating a couple of brazil nuts a day to get selenium also as I know it's a good nutrient to have for the brain apparently but in supplement doses I know you would have to be more careful.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Do you think NAC would be better than l-glutamine?

I'm not sure, never really looked into either for potentiation or attenuating withdrawal/tolerance for GABAergics.

NAC mainly just increases glutithione in the liver and has antioxidant properties in various organs (plus it's effect on dopamine). I'm not sure it would have any direct benefit for your purpose.

Maybe look into l-theanine. It is mildly psychoactive on its own and could help wean off pregabalin. It's noticeable effect does build tolerance fairly rapidly, so use it only when needed. The psychoactive effect is most noticeable at 200mg-600mg doses, and is mostly just a mild sense of calm/relaxation. It also goes great with coffee if you tend to get anxiety or jitters, it cancels that out.

 

[anonymouse77]

I'm not sure, never really looked into either for potentiation or attenuating withdrawal/tolerance for GABAergics.

NAC mainly just increases glutithione in the liver and has antioxidant properties in various organs (plus it's effect on dopamine). I'm not sure it would have any direct benefit for your purpose.

Maybe look into l-theanine. It is mildly psychoactive on its own and could help wean off pregabalin. It's noticeable effect does build tolerance fairly rapidly, so use it only when needed. The psychoactive effect is most noticeable at 200mg-600mg doses, and is mostly just a mild sense of calm/relaxation. It also goes great with coffee if you tend to get anxiety or jitters, it cancels that out.

Thank you for your reply. L-theanine was actually next on my list of supplements to try that I saw recommended for helping to support GABA when coming off benzos so I thought it might help with replacing Lyrica. I don't know if addicted is the right word yet but it's becoming a habit to take several every day so it's looking that way.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Thank you for your reply. L-theanine was actually next on my list of supplements to try that I saw recommended for helping to support GABA when coming off benzos so I thought it might help with replacing Lyrica. I don't know if addicted is the right word yet but it's becoming a habit to take several every day so it's looking that way.

Just some tips from my experience with it:

I found larger doses (400-600mg) to really help me out during a period of mild/moderate alcohol withdrawal. Was great for about a week, then tolerance developed from these high doses and lost much of the effectiveness. I continued taking it daily at smaller 100-300mg doses. I stopped for several weeks trying to reset tolerance, then attempted larger doses again to no avail. There seems to be a perma-tolerance type effect to it.

Eventually I relapsed on alcohol, and attempted to use it again during withdrawal but this time the withdrawal was much worse because I had been drinking more. I attempted to use theanine again had an extremely negative reaction. It worsened the withdrawal drastically, and would send me into panic attacks with bizarre physical effects too. I believe it exacerbated the alcohol withdrawal glutamate rebound.

Months after that, when I was not going through withdrawal, I tried using it again and it just makes me feel weird. I no longer was getting any positive effect, only side effects.

Your experience might be different, as alcohol is quite different from pregab in a lot of ways, and permanent changes have been made to my brain due to 10 years of alcoholism.

I guess my advice is just to watch out for side effects, and don't use high doses for longer than required.

 

[anonymouse77]

Just some tips from my experience with it:

I found larger doses (400-600mg) to really help me out during a period of mild/moderate alcohol withdrawal. Was great for about a week, then tolerance developed from these high doses and lost much of the effectiveness. I continued taking it daily at smaller 100-300mg doses. I stopped for several weeks trying to reset tolerance, then attempted larger doses again to no avail. There seems to be a perma-tolerance type effect to it.

Eventually I relapsed on alcohol, and attempted to use it again during withdrawal but this time the withdrawal was much worse because I had been drinking more. I attempted to use theanine again had an extremely negative reaction. It worsened the withdrawal drastically, and would send me into panic attacks with bizarre physical effects too. I believe it exacerbated the alcohol withdrawal glutamate rebound.

Months after that, when I was not going through withdrawal, I tried using it again and it just makes me feel weird. I no longer was getting any positive effect, only side effects.

Your experience might be different, as alcohol is quite different from pregab in a lot of ways, and permanent changes have been made to my brain due to 10 years of alcoholism.

I guess my advice is just to watch out for side effects, and don't use high doses for longer than required.

Thank you again for sharing your experience. I am glad you were able to get off alcohol eventually.

I just wanted to share from my thread about my teeth that I have been off these nicotine lozenges for 3 days now and my teeth are already feeling better and less painful. I believe they were severely affecting my teeth and I had visible decay according to the dentist I saw a few days ago. I hope being off them helps my teeth repair further.

 

[Neuroprotection]

Just some tips from my experience with it:

I found larger doses (400-600mg) to really help me out during a period of mild/moderate alcohol withdrawal. Was great for about a week, then tolerance developed from these high doses and lost much of the effectiveness. I continued taking it daily at smaller 100-300mg doses. I stopped for several weeks trying to reset tolerance, then attempted larger doses again to no avail. There seems to be a perma-tolerance type effect to it.

Eventually I relapsed on alcohol, and attempted to use it again during withdrawal but this time the withdrawal was much worse because I had been drinking more. I attempted to use theanine again had an extremely negative reaction. It worsened the withdrawal drastically, and would send me into panic attacks with bizarre physical effects too. I believe it exacerbated the alcohol withdrawal glutamate rebound.

Months after that, when I was not going through withdrawal, I tried using it again and it just makes me feel weird. I no longer was getting any positive effect, only side effects.

Your experience might be different, as alcohol is quite different from pregab in a lot of ways, and permanent changes have been made to my brain due to 10 years of alcoholism.

I guess my advice is just to watch out for side effects, and don't use high doses for longer than required.

I think L theanine acts more like a potent pharmaceutical drug than people may imagine. I believe it is quite a potent antagonist of both AMPA and kainate glutamate receptors which contributes to its anxiolytic effect. if it is a competitive antagonist, this probably results in rapid sensitisation and maybe up-regulation of these receptors which could contribute to that permanent state of tolerance and worsening alcohol withdrawal.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I think L theanine acts more like a potent pharmaceutical drug than people may imagine. I believe it is quite a potent antagonist of both AMPA and kainate glutamate receptors which contributes to its anxiolytic effect. if it is a competitive antagonist, this probably results in rapid sensitisation and maybe up-regulation of these receptors which could contribute to that permanent state of tolerance and worsening alcohol withdrawal.

It definitely had some very noticeable psychoactive effect at 500-600mg. However, it also had some pretty clear side effects as well. Mostly mental fog as I remember. Certainly not abuseable, but was relaxing me enough that I did not crave alcohol for those 5 days I took, which speaks to the effectiveness.

It also does not seem to help with sleep at all, other than general psychological relaxation/stress reduction. It promotes alpha waves. However, there is one study that showed it improved sleep over time when combined with GABA supplement (more than theanine alone).

Many other anecdotal reports I've read also all mention the "perma-tolerance" after using it in doses >200mg.

I took 200mg with my coffee the other day, because I've always found that was it's most useful effect for me. It counteracts caffeine anxiety/jitters quite nicely.

 

[Juniper Bruhmomentius]

They say this and few others are the best post-stim-use cures. Cant recall names. NAC was one and then theres 2 others that show the most promise. I could go check the local green "pharmacy" for whatever the fuck they were.

 

[anonymouse77]

Nothing I tried has helped much for me. I am waiting on my l-theanine. The one other supplement I wanted to try was lithium orotate. Other than that I just want to spend the money that was left to me by my father and check out. My cat also prohibits me right now. I don't want to leave her.

 

[Dextro .45]

Pregabalin (Lyrica) 300-600mg in a single dose on an empty stomach (solo or in a multi-substance cocktail) is an Amazing drug with anticonvulsant & anxiolytic properties. It’s now a staple in my Brompton Cocktail…possessing euphoric and mood-boosting effects, talkative and sociable, happy and positive mindset.

90% oral bioavailability and 1h - 1.5h peak plasma levels after administration

Opioid
Dopaminergic stimulant
Benzodiazepine
Pregabalin
Cannabinoid
Ethanol / Jin

My daily after-work oral Brompton Cocktail reward after a long day, home, shower, consume cocktail and lax on the couch sip’n Tanqueray Jin & Canada Dry until the onset creeps in 30-45min later…in 1 hour I’m golden.

Very tolerant individual / could be dangerous for certain individuals. Know your limits & tolerance. Be safe.

 

[anonymouse77]

Pregabalin (Lyrica) 300-600mg in a single dose on an empty stomach (solo or in a multi-substance cocktail) is an Amazing drug with anticonvulsant & anxiolytic properties. It’s now a stable in my Brompton Cocktail…possessing euphoric and mood-boosting effects, talkative and sociable, happy and positive mindset.

90% oral bioavailability and 1h - 1.5h peak plasma levels after administration

Opioid
Dopaminergic stimulant
Benzodiazepine
Pregabalin
Cannabinoid
Ethanol / Jin

My daily after-work oral Brompton Cocktail reward after a long day, home, shower, consume cocktail and lax on the couch sip’n Tanqueray Jin & Canada Dry until the onset creeps in 30-45min later…in 1 hour I’m golden.

Very tolerant individual / could be dangerous for certain individuals. Know your limits & tolerance. Be safe.

Thank you for your reply. I'm glad you found something that you can enjoy. Do you take opioids with it? Also what dopaminergic stimulant do you take?

 

[Dextro .45]

Methadone 80mg
Methylphenidate (Ritalin) 50mg IR
Diazepam 10mg (2-3 tablets)
Pregabalin 300-600mg
Indica Cannabis oil 10mg
Ethanol / Jin 2oz drinks X 3-6 dinks depending (Sat night vs work night)

On Saturdays this cocktail is taken after a tab of LSD 100ug under tongue with Phenibut 2 grams. Both take 3 hours to take full effects……usually have crazy trippy sex with GF, then after shower I gab a hidden glass already prepared with all these items mixed with warm water to dissolve pulzerized tablets/powder, adding sweet orange juice to mask bitter taste……still peaking on clean amazing LSD my Brompton Cocktail takes effect in an hour and it’s PURE BLISS

My weekly Saturday every weekend without fail lol. Damn I love LSD. She took me to the Royal Botanic Garden in the summer when I dropped a hit of LSD and it was literally heaven on earth. Rock garden, cool flowing streams, beautiful flowers and exotic plants everywhere, fat fuzzy bumble bees hovering around to my amazement, animals everywhere, little mischievous red squirrels lol, cool birds, honey bees everywhere pollinating the flowers, the rock garden was like being in the Tropical rainforest.

 

[anonymouse77]

Methadone 80mg
Methylphenidate (Ritalin) 50mg IR
Diazepam 10mg (2-3 tablets)
Pregabalin 300-600mg
Indica Cannabis oil 10mg
Ethanol / Jin 2oz drinks X 3-6 dinks depending (Sat night vs work night)

On Saturdays this cocktail is taken after a tab of LSD 100ug under tongue with Phenibut 2 grams. Both take 3 hours to take full effects……usually have crazy trippy sex with GF, then after shower I gab a hidden glass already prepared with all these items mixed with warm water to dissolve pulzerized tablets/powder, adding sweet orange juice to mask bitter taste……still peaking on clean amazing LSD my Brompton Cocktail takes effect in an hour and it’s PURE BLISS

My weekly Saturday every weekend without fail lol. Damn I love LSD. She took me to the Royal Botanic Garden in the summer when I dropped a hit of LSD and it was literally heaven on earth. Rock garden, cool flowing streams, beautiful flowers and exotic plants everywhere, fat fuzzy bumble bees hovering around to my amazement, animals everywhere, little mischievous red squirrels lol, cool birds, honey bees everywhere pollinating the flowers, the rock garden was like being in the Tropical rainforest.

Thanks for letting me know. I wish I could be on opiates and try LSD. Or get ritalin. I can't get anything fun. I have Lyrica, limited diazepam, THC oil (18mg/ml) and stopped drinking almost a year ago now. It depleted my vitamin B (thiamine) and I lost the plot from drinking so much after my dad died.

 

[Neuroprotection]

Thanks for letting me know. I wish I could be on opiates and try LSD. Or get ritalin. I can't get anything fun. I have Lyrica, limited diazepam, THC oil (18mg/ml) and stopped drinking almost a year ago now. It depleted my vitamin B (thiamine) and I lost the plot from drinking so much after my dad died.

I’m sorry to hear about your dad‘s death and I wish you all the best in coming out stronger and growing as a person after dealing with this tragedy. May God bless you and your father. if it’s not too unbearable, I would recommend you stay away from anything like diazepam and related CNS depressants as they only temporarily mask sadness, but can simultaneously interfere with the cognitive processes needed to move on from traumatic memories. I would advise you to supplement with lots of thiamine and other B vitamins, along with zinc and magnesium under the guidance of a doctor. thiamine is very interesting in the context of drug and alcohol withdrawal since aside from its properties as a traditional B vitamin, it is also used in the RNA editing process needed to construct calcium in permeable AMPA receptors. i’ll go into more detail on this in a new thread I will create on the neuroscience and pharmacology forum.